PO3 Warren Samuel Craig

On Oct 11-12, 1942, I had the honor of being one of 250 crewman on the USS DUNCAN DD485 at the slot at Guadalcanal and Save Island in the south Pacific in a battle group of cruisers and destroyers. Our target was the Japanese Tokyo Express. It was 11;30pm on the 11th. Our ship made a one ship attack alone on 15 Japanese ships. We fired torpedoes and shells at a heavy cruiser and a destroyer, both ships sunk later. Our ship got caught in the crossfire of the Japanese and American ships and received 56 direct hits and was set afire and exploded and forced the men to jump over into the shark infested burning water with the Japanese. 58 enlisted men and 5 officers were killed in action. I spent the next 14 hours with just a lifejacket swimming constantly alone till I was rescued by 2 Marines in a landing craft. I was almost dead, burned and my mouth was swollen, my tongue was out my mouth, dehydrated and suicidal. I was put on a stretcher, put on a hospital ship for 5 days. I received word that I could get out of bed and could go with the remaining crew back to the States and get a new destroyer. I rolled right out of bed on the deck and in 30 days I got home. I was on a new destroyer in Norfolk, VA and then on to the invasion of Europe at Gela, Sicily July 10, 1943. This ship gets dive bombed on Aug 4, 1943 at Palermo, Sicily and sinks. 15 enlisted men and 1 officer are dead. I have ear damage and not time or place to be sick in bed.